Diabolo Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ · a purple-leaf ninebark
Grown for its dark purple leaves, a dramatic contrast in a border or hedge, on a tough native ninebark with pinkish-white flowers in late spring and peeling winter bark. It handles drought, clay and rocky soil. The purple greens up in hot summers, and it blooms on old wood, so prune right after flowering.
- Mature size
- 6 × 6 ft
- 1.8 × 1.8 m, tall × wide
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–7b
- USDA
- Sun
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Dry to wet
- Blooms
- Apr–May
Diabolo Ninebark at its mature size
A mature Diabolo Ninebark grows 4 to 8 feet tall and just as wide.
Drawn to scale beside a 5 ft 9 in person. With VeraScape, you see it at this size in your own yard.
Typical mature size, unpruned. Sources: Missouri Botanical Garden.
Through the year
What Diabolo Ninebark looks like month by month in a typical zone 6–7 garden.
Dormant · Dec–Mar
Bare arching stems with peeling reddish-brown bark.
In leaf · Apr, Jul–Sep
Dense deep burgundy-purple leaves, no flowers.
In flower · May–Jun
Small rounded clusters of pinkish-white flowers among the purple leaves.
Fall · Oct–Nov
Leaves turned dull red-bronze.
Photos
Growing Diabolo Ninebark
- Grows well in
- The Northeast, the Midwest, the Plains and Mountain West, and the Pacific Northwest.
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Good for
- Hedge, foundation planting, drought tolerant, rain garden, slopes, pollinators, winter interest, and fast growing
- Leaves
- Drops its leaves in winter
- Native to
- Central and Eastern North America
Spacing for a hedge
VeraScape spaces plants so their grown canopies just touch. For Diabolo Ninebark, that’s about 6 ft apart, center to center.
Place a row in your own yard and VeraScape spaces them at their mature width, so you can see whether they’ll crowd the walk.
See Diabolo Ninebark in your yard before you dig
Visualize it at its true size, alongside the rest of your design.
Other ninebarks
Summer Wine Ninebark
Diabolo Ninebark
Ninebark
Coppertina NinebarkAll drawn to the same scale.